As if on cue, the thunderstorms i Tennessee are weakening as they approach the Alabama border.
Storms are now over northern Madison County, but they are decreasing quickly in size.
Stronger storms over Giles and Larence Counties in Tennessee are heading toward Lauderdale and Limestone County, but will likely continue to lose intensity and coverage.
The cap will probably hold pretty strong tomorrow also, suppressing storm development. The best chance over Alabama will be over the northeast part of the state. Look for slightlybetter chances Monday and much better chances through midweek.
The storms should completely run out of steam before making it into Central Alabama. Expect a warm and humid night under fair skies overnight.
Scroll down for the Weather Talk post...my personal memories of the May 27, 1973 tornadoes....
Late Night Look at Alabama Weather
May 26, 2006, 10:45 pm
by Bill Murray
in Severe Weather
Memories of May 27th
May 26, 2006, 10:35 pm
May 27, 1973 was a Sunday. My family lived in the Roebuck section of northeastern Birmingham. I was eleven years old at the time. I loved sleeping with the window open, and awoke to a warm and humid morning, much like today. But something was noticeably different. It was very windy with a southwest breeze blowing at some 10-20 mph. My first thought was, “Tornado weather.” The mere thought gave me a feeling of intense dread and apprehension.
You see, I spent the first twelve years of my life petrified of the weather. Literally frightened out of my mind by storms. So, I diligently listened to WVOK throughout the day, hoping to hear any weather information. By late morning, tornado watches were issued. Storms began firing across Northwest Alabama before noon. The severe storms were reported near Tuscaloosa. Tornado warnings were issued for Jefferson County when these storms produced a tornado at Rock Mountain Lake, near Bessemer. This was getting too close for comfort. I tracked the storms across the Birmingham metro area and breathed a sigh of relief when no more damage was reported.
Then action began to our north. A tornado was reported near Hulaco in Cullman County. This did not concern me, as it was north of Birmingham and moving away from us. WVOK was my constant friend, feeding me the time weather information I sorely craved. Another wave of thunderstorms moved through at mid-afternoon. These storms were heavy, but once again, we had dodged a bullet in the Birmingham area.
Soon after those storms passed, we went out to play baseball, thinking that the heavy stuff was over. The sun came out. I did not see a well written severe weather statement from the National Weather Service in Birmingham. It warned that the weather was not yet over.
We had been playing baseball for over an hour, and were oblivious to the changing sky. After 6:30, my mother appeared at the back door and called us inside. She spoke in a tone that let us know she meant business, so although we were disappointed that our backyard baseball game had been broken up prematurely, we headed inside. When I got to the screen door, she told me to look to the north, knowing I would instantly recognize what she was seeing.
A tornado! And a big one! You could only see the top of the funnel above the trees just one mile away. It had just crossed Highway 79 and was demolishing the mobile home park there.. My mouth fell open in amazement. We were in textbook position to see it. Instinctively, she ushered us in just as the circulation of the storm hit with a fury. We ran to the middle hallway and closed off all the doors and wind and heavy rain battered our house. The power flickered and then went out. After it passed, we listened to a battery powered AM radio and learned of the devastation in the Tarrant and Center Point areas.
You see, I spent the first twelve years of my life petrified of the weather. Literally frightened out of my mind by storms. So, I diligently listened to WVOK throughout the day, hoping to hear any weather information. By late morning, tornado watches were issued. Storms began firing across Northwest Alabama before noon. The severe storms were reported near Tuscaloosa. Tornado warnings were issued for Jefferson County when these storms produced a tornado at Rock Mountain Lake, near Bessemer. This was getting too close for comfort. I tracked the storms across the Birmingham metro area and breathed a sigh of relief when no more damage was reported.
Then action began to our north. A tornado was reported near Hulaco in Cullman County. This did not concern me, as it was north of Birmingham and moving away from us. WVOK was my constant friend, feeding me the time weather information I sorely craved. Another wave of thunderstorms moved through at mid-afternoon. These storms were heavy, but once again, we had dodged a bullet in the Birmingham area.
Soon after those storms passed, we went out to play baseball, thinking that the heavy stuff was over. The sun came out. I did not see a well written severe weather statement from the National Weather Service in Birmingham. It warned that the weather was not yet over.
We had been playing baseball for over an hour, and were oblivious to the changing sky. After 6:30, my mother appeared at the back door and called us inside. She spoke in a tone that let us know she meant business, so although we were disappointed that our backyard baseball game had been broken up prematurely, we headed inside. When I got to the screen door, she told me to look to the north, knowing I would instantly recognize what she was seeing.
A tornado! And a big one! You could only see the top of the funnel above the trees just one mile away. It had just crossed Highway 79 and was demolishing the mobile home park there.. My mouth fell open in amazement. We were in textbook position to see it. Instinctively, she ushered us in just as the circulation of the storm hit with a fury. We ran to the middle hallway and closed off all the doors and wind and heavy rain battered our house. The power flickered and then went out. After it passed, we listened to a battery powered AM radio and learned of the devastation in the Tarrant and Center Point areas.
by Bill Murray
in Weather History
Alabama Weather Update
May 26, 2006, 9:42 pm
National Weather Service Doppler radars continue to show intense storms over Tennessee along a frontal boundary.
The storms are pushing south at about 15 mph. They are within one hour now of the northern border of Madison County.
The strongest storm in Tennessee is west of Jackson.
The canary in the mine tonight as far as whether the storms will make it far down into Alabama was the Jackson County storm about 730. It weakened quickly as it moved into Alabama.
Our storms should weaken before they move into Central Alabama later tonight. The leftover boundaries will be a focal point for storm development tomorrow over North Alabama, it the cap can be overcome.
The storms are pushing south at about 15 mph. They are within one hour now of the northern border of Madison County.
The strongest storm in Tennessee is west of Jackson.
The canary in the mine tonight as far as whether the storms will make it far down into Alabama was the Jackson County storm about 730. It weakened quickly as it moved into Alabama.
Our storms should weaken before they move into Central Alabama later tonight. The leftover boundaries will be a focal point for storm development tomorrow over North Alabama, it the cap can be overcome.
by Bill Murray
in Severe Weather
Alabama Weather Update
May 26, 2006, 8:26 pm
Scattered intense thunderstorms continue this evening along a stationary boundary over Tennessee that extends down into the high country of Northeast Alabama and northwestern Georgia.
The storms are moving south.at 15-20 mph. They will reach extreme Northeast Alabama in about two hours.
Wind shear is light tonight over the region, but high levels of instability continue to fuel the storms. The storms seemed to have weakened just a bit over the past hour, but they are still strong enough to trigger several severe thunderstorms from the National Weather Service offices in Nashville and now Huntsville.
Hail will be the greatest threat, but wind damage is possible with the storms.
The storms may be able to maintain themselves as they propagate into North Central Alabama later tonight. We will monitor them.
The storms are moving south.at 15-20 mph. They will reach extreme Northeast Alabama in about two hours.
Wind shear is light tonight over the region, but high levels of instability continue to fuel the storms. The storms seemed to have weakened just a bit over the past hour, but they are still strong enough to trigger several severe thunderstorms from the National Weather Service offices in Nashville and now Huntsville.
Hail will be the greatest threat, but wind damage is possible with the storms.
The storms may be able to maintain themselves as they propagate into North Central Alabama later tonight. We will monitor them.
by Bill Murray
in Severe Weather
Alabama Weather Update
May 26, 2006, 7:31 pm
Thunderstorms are intensifying over Tennessee tonight, upstream from North Alabama.
Several severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect across the Volunteer State...back into Arkansas.
2 inch hail was reported in Dickson County, Tennessee west of Nashville.
Several other reports of hail up to one inch have been received during the past two hours across Tennessee.
Several trees were reported down just after 6:30 p.m. in Hawkins County in extreme northeast Tennessee.
The activity is forming in an unstable airmass that is weakly capped. The fact that the airmass over Alabama is significantly capped has prevented widespread thunderstorm development this afternoon.
With a west northwesterly flow, this activity is heading toward North Alabama. The northern tier of counties, two counties thick is under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Will teh storms make it down to Birmingham and North Central Alabama tonight? Possibly. We expect them to weaken as they move into Central Alabama, but they could hold together enough to bring a little rock and roll action our way late tonight.
Several severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect across the Volunteer State...back into Arkansas.
2 inch hail was reported in Dickson County, Tennessee west of Nashville.
Several other reports of hail up to one inch have been received during the past two hours across Tennessee.
Several trees were reported down just after 6:30 p.m. in Hawkins County in extreme northeast Tennessee.
The activity is forming in an unstable airmass that is weakly capped. The fact that the airmass over Alabama is significantly capped has prevented widespread thunderstorm development this afternoon.
With a west northwesterly flow, this activity is heading toward North Alabama. The northern tier of counties, two counties thick is under a severe thunderstorm watch.
Will teh storms make it down to Birmingham and North Central Alabama tonight? Possibly. We expect them to weaken as they move into Central Alabama, but they could hold together enough to bring a little rock and roll action our way late tonight.
by Bill Murray
in Severe Weather
Severe Thunderstorm Watch--Extreme North Alabama
May 26, 2006, 6:33 pm
It goes until 11 o'clock tonight and is generally for the Tennessee Valley counties. Here is the actual list:
Limestone
Madison
Morgan
Dekalb
Jackson
Marshall
Colbert
Franklin
Lauderdale
Cities like Florence. Russellville, Decatur, Huntsville, Guntersville. Scottsboro, Fort Payne included.
At 6:30 this evening, there was not a single shower or thunderstorm in progress across Alabama. Earlier a strong thunderstorm tracked across Extreme Northeast Alabama. Trees were uprooted in Western Dekalb County. Large hail the size of quarters fell near Mentone, atop Lookout Mountain.
Intense thunderstorms are in progress over NW Tennessee and some of those will get down into North Alabama later this evening. That is the basis for the new Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
For the Greater Birmingham Area, no threat of severe weather at this time. However, some of those Tennessee storms could reach this far south late tonight. We will watch that.
But they could also weaken quite a bit before reaching this part of Alabama
Limestone
Madison
Morgan
Dekalb
Jackson
Marshall
Colbert
Franklin
Lauderdale
Cities like Florence. Russellville, Decatur, Huntsville, Guntersville. Scottsboro, Fort Payne included.
At 6:30 this evening, there was not a single shower or thunderstorm in progress across Alabama. Earlier a strong thunderstorm tracked across Extreme Northeast Alabama. Trees were uprooted in Western Dekalb County. Large hail the size of quarters fell near Mentone, atop Lookout Mountain.
Intense thunderstorms are in progress over NW Tennessee and some of those will get down into North Alabama later this evening. That is the basis for the new Severe Thunderstorm Watch.
For the Greater Birmingham Area, no threat of severe weather at this time. However, some of those Tennessee storms could reach this far south late tonight. We will watch that.
But they could also weaken quite a bit before reaching this part of Alabama
by J.B. Elliott
in Severe Weather
Watching For Strong Storms
May 26, 2006, 2:14 pm
The Friday afternoon map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
SPC has placed about the northern third of Alabama under a slight risk of severe weather for this afternoon and early tonight as storms should begin to fire shortly in the hot and humid environment. An outflow boundary is floating aroung North Alabama, and will help to serve as a focus for storm formation during the next few hours. There is a layer of warm air between 5,000 and 10,000 feet on the morning sounding, but it is not especially strong and I think it will break shortly.
The main threat from storms this afternoon will be from strong winds and small hail, and most of the storms should die down by 9:00 p.m.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: No real change through the holiday weekend. Highs between 88 and 92, high humidity levels, and the daily risk of an afternoon storm in a few spots. Afternoon storms tomorrow and Sunday should be relatively isolated; perhaps a little more numerous early next week. Day to day weather changes in this pattern, and during this time of the year, are fairly subtle.
AT THE BEACH: About 8 to 10 hours of sunshine each day over the holiday weekend; highs in the mid to upper 80s along the immediate coast, and the water temperature continues to run in the upper 70s. As I write this the water temperature at Panama City is 87.3 degrees (F). A few showers or storms are possible, but most of them will be inland, and they will be pretty isolated.
LONG RANGE: The 12Z run of the GFS continues to hint at an eastern U.S. upper trough developing in the June 2-4 time frame; that might offer hope of a slight cooling trend if it happens. And, the GFS "bogus tropical storm of the day" on the 12Z run shows up over far southern Florida around June 8... it then moves off into the open Atlantic. The fact that the GFS is trying to develop some kind of tropical system on almost every run should tell us something; we just can't focus on details.
Tomorrow is the 33rd anniversary of the Greensboro/Brent/Wilsonville/Childersburg F4 tornado on May 27, 1973... scroll down to see some amazing pictures of the damage in Brent, including damage at the old WSR-57 radar site just southwest of Brent.
Enjoy the long weekend, and remember that "Memorial Day" is all about... brave men and women who have died in military service for the United States!
http://www.jamesspann.com/
SPC has placed about the northern third of Alabama under a slight risk of severe weather for this afternoon and early tonight as storms should begin to fire shortly in the hot and humid environment. An outflow boundary is floating aroung North Alabama, and will help to serve as a focus for storm formation during the next few hours. There is a layer of warm air between 5,000 and 10,000 feet on the morning sounding, but it is not especially strong and I think it will break shortly.
The main threat from storms this afternoon will be from strong winds and small hail, and most of the storms should die down by 9:00 p.m.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND: No real change through the holiday weekend. Highs between 88 and 92, high humidity levels, and the daily risk of an afternoon storm in a few spots. Afternoon storms tomorrow and Sunday should be relatively isolated; perhaps a little more numerous early next week. Day to day weather changes in this pattern, and during this time of the year, are fairly subtle.
AT THE BEACH: About 8 to 10 hours of sunshine each day over the holiday weekend; highs in the mid to upper 80s along the immediate coast, and the water temperature continues to run in the upper 70s. As I write this the water temperature at Panama City is 87.3 degrees (F). A few showers or storms are possible, but most of them will be inland, and they will be pretty isolated.
LONG RANGE: The 12Z run of the GFS continues to hint at an eastern U.S. upper trough developing in the June 2-4 time frame; that might offer hope of a slight cooling trend if it happens. And, the GFS "bogus tropical storm of the day" on the 12Z run shows up over far southern Florida around June 8... it then moves off into the open Atlantic. The fact that the GFS is trying to develop some kind of tropical system on almost every run should tell us something; we just can't focus on details.
Tomorrow is the 33rd anniversary of the Greensboro/Brent/Wilsonville/Childersburg F4 tornado on May 27, 1973... scroll down to see some amazing pictures of the damage in Brent, including damage at the old WSR-57 radar site just southwest of Brent.
Enjoy the long weekend, and remember that "Memorial Day" is all about... brave men and women who have died in military service for the United States!
The Brent Tornado Of May 27, 1973
May 26, 2006, 6:33 am
I was ending my junior year at Tuscaloosa High School in late May of 1973. On Sunday evening, May 27, there was an urgent call for help from Bibb County, where a tornado had just gone through Brent. I was picked up by a group of amateur radio operators from Tuscaloosa, and we made the quick trip down U.S. 82 to set up emergency communication in the disaster area. It was the first time I ever saw tornado damage first hand, and it had quite an impression on my life. The memory of this night is as clear as if it happened yesterday.
The tornado was rated F4, and stayed on the ground from just northeast of Demopolis to the western slope of Mt. Cheaha. After causing major damage in Greensboro, the tornado rolled into Brent, destroying a large part of the town and killing 5 people.
John Brasher was a photographer for the Centreville Press in 1973, and he has shared these pictures of the damage that night in Brent....
This was the tornado as seen by the old National Weather Service WSR-57 radar, which was just southwest of Brent, and took a direct hit from the tornado a few minutes later.
The radar antenna was blown off the tower, and damage to the facility was severe.
Operators at the site were not injured, thanks to their quick action after seeing the hook echo. Of course, they also relayed the information to Birmingham's NWS office, who had excellent warnings in place.
More damage to the radar building, which was on Alabama 25 just a mile or so west of Alabama 5. The building was rebuilt, and still stands today, even though the radar operation was shut down in the mid 90s when the Shelby County Airport NEXRAD was put into service.
The Brent Baptist Church was destroyed; one person in the church was killed.
The Brent Baptist Church was rebuilt on the same site; it is a recommended stop on "Spann's Best Way To The Bama Beaches" this year.
This was downtown Brent.
See much more on John's excellent site:
http://www.brenttornado.com/
The tornado was rated F4, and stayed on the ground from just northeast of Demopolis to the western slope of Mt. Cheaha. After causing major damage in Greensboro, the tornado rolled into Brent, destroying a large part of the town and killing 5 people.
John Brasher was a photographer for the Centreville Press in 1973, and he has shared these pictures of the damage that night in Brent....
This was the tornado as seen by the old National Weather Service WSR-57 radar, which was just southwest of Brent, and took a direct hit from the tornado a few minutes later.
The radar antenna was blown off the tower, and damage to the facility was severe.
Operators at the site were not injured, thanks to their quick action after seeing the hook echo. Of course, they also relayed the information to Birmingham's NWS office, who had excellent warnings in place.
More damage to the radar building, which was on Alabama 25 just a mile or so west of Alabama 5. The building was rebuilt, and still stands today, even though the radar operation was shut down in the mid 90s when the Shelby County Airport NEXRAD was put into service.
The Brent Baptist Church was destroyed; one person in the church was killed.
The Brent Baptist Church was rebuilt on the same site; it is a recommended stop on "Spann's Best Way To The Bama Beaches" this year.
This was downtown Brent.
See much more on John's excellent site:
http://www.brenttornado.com/
by James Spann
in Pictures
A Strong Storm Later Today?
May 26, 2006, 5:56 am
The Friday morning map discussion video is on the server:
http://www.jamesspann.com/
I know a bunch of people that are headed out of town this morning for summer vacation... if that is the case for your family be safe and careful!
Storms over Tennessee fell apart during the pre-dawn hours, but an outflow boundary should be over North Alabama later today, and could serve as a focus for new thunderstorm formation. Any storms that do form this afternoon should be healthy; the NAM runs surface based CAPEs to values well over 3,000 this afternoon. Of course, those kind of numbers are not too unusual for a summer afternoon in Alabama. But, you can bet that surface parcels will be rising.
The big question is the strength of the capping inversion; we will take a good look at the morning soundings when they arrive a little later. With a short wave just north of here, the air aloft should be a tad cooler today, and the cap should be a little weaker.
Bottom line is that today will be hot and humid with scattered strong storms this afternoon and this evening.
We could use a little rain; the last measurable rain in Birmingham was May 17. Good news is that we still have a nice surplus for the year, the total of 29.72" is 5.32" above normal.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND: The surface front will wash out, and the warm upper ridge will build over us. So, hot and humid weather continues through Monday with highs in the 88 to 92 degree range, and a handful of afternoon storms around in scattered spots. Trying to determine the placment and coverage of afternoon storms is very difficult since it all depends on mesoscale features... the strength of the capping inversion, and small scale boundaries like the daily seabreeze, or outflow boundaries from previous convetion. The usual TV weather talk like "high pressure", "cold fronts", etc... don't mean much in the summer in Alabama.
NEXT WEEK: The GFS seems to suggest an increase in shower and storm activity over Alabama next week with copious amounts of low level moisture making for an unstable setup. However, we have no upper air dynamics to help things along, so for now we will just hang on to "scattered, mainly afternoon thunderstorms" on a daily basis.
Once again, if you are on the road today be safe. And, if you are headed to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach be sure and check out my annual beach route (the post below this one). It will take a little extra time, but it will provide a very memorable trip, and you will see parts of Alabama very few people know about!
The next map discussion video should be posted by 3:30 this afternoon...
http://www.jamesspann.com/
I know a bunch of people that are headed out of town this morning for summer vacation... if that is the case for your family be safe and careful!
Storms over Tennessee fell apart during the pre-dawn hours, but an outflow boundary should be over North Alabama later today, and could serve as a focus for new thunderstorm formation. Any storms that do form this afternoon should be healthy; the NAM runs surface based CAPEs to values well over 3,000 this afternoon. Of course, those kind of numbers are not too unusual for a summer afternoon in Alabama. But, you can bet that surface parcels will be rising.
The big question is the strength of the capping inversion; we will take a good look at the morning soundings when they arrive a little later. With a short wave just north of here, the air aloft should be a tad cooler today, and the cap should be a little weaker.
Bottom line is that today will be hot and humid with scattered strong storms this afternoon and this evening.
We could use a little rain; the last measurable rain in Birmingham was May 17. Good news is that we still have a nice surplus for the year, the total of 29.72" is 5.32" above normal.
HOLIDAY WEEKEND: The surface front will wash out, and the warm upper ridge will build over us. So, hot and humid weather continues through Monday with highs in the 88 to 92 degree range, and a handful of afternoon storms around in scattered spots. Trying to determine the placment and coverage of afternoon storms is very difficult since it all depends on mesoscale features... the strength of the capping inversion, and small scale boundaries like the daily seabreeze, or outflow boundaries from previous convetion. The usual TV weather talk like "high pressure", "cold fronts", etc... don't mean much in the summer in Alabama.
NEXT WEEK: The GFS seems to suggest an increase in shower and storm activity over Alabama next week with copious amounts of low level moisture making for an unstable setup. However, we have no upper air dynamics to help things along, so for now we will just hang on to "scattered, mainly afternoon thunderstorms" on a daily basis.
Once again, if you are on the road today be safe. And, if you are headed to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach be sure and check out my annual beach route (the post below this one). It will take a little extra time, but it will provide a very memorable trip, and you will see parts of Alabama very few people know about!
The next map discussion video should be posted by 3:30 this afternoon...
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